Huntsville, Missouri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Huntsville, Missouri
City
City of Huntsville
Location of Huntsville, Missouri
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Randolph
Area
• Total	2.32 sq mi (6.00 km2)
• Land	2.32 sq mi (6.00 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	758 ft (231 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,376
• Estimate  (2023)	1,371
• Density	593.87/sq mi (229.30/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	65259
Area code(s)	660
FIPS code	29-33886
GNIS feature ID	2394454

Huntsville is a city located in Randolph County, Missouri, in the United States. It is the main town, also known as the county seat, for Randolph County. In 2020, about 1,376 people lived here.

History of Huntsville

Founding the City

Randolph County was officially started on February 2, 1829. Huntsville became the county seat in 1831. The town was named after Daniel Hunt. He was from Kentucky and was the first person to settle here. Daniel Hunt arrived between 1820 and 1821.

Other settlers soon followed him. These included William Goggin, Gideon Wright, and Henry Winburn. They were also from Kentucky. William Goggin built the first mill in the county here. These early settlers gave 50 acres of land for the town. This land formed a perfect square. The center of the square was where the courthouse would be built.

Courthouse Buildings

The Randolph County Courthouse holds many important county offices. These include the Assessor, Collector, and County Clerk. The first courthouse was finished on June 13, 1831. It was built in the middle of the public square. This building was taken down around 1858 or 1859.

The second courthouse stood on the same spot from 1858 to 1882. It was made bigger and updated in 1877. An architect named Charles B. Clarke worked on it. Sadly, a fire destroyed this courthouse on August 12, 1882. The third courthouse was completed in April 1884. Another fire happened in July 1955. The courthouse you see today stands in the exact same place as the very first one.

Potawatomi Trail of Death

In 1838, about 850 Potawatomi Native Americans passed near Huntsville. They were on a forced journey known as the Trail of Death. This difficult march took them from northern Indiana to Kansas. Soldiers made them travel.

A special marker was put up on September 11, 1997. Descendants of the Potawatomi people were there. The marker explains what happened. It says that on October 17 and 18, 1838, the Potawatomi camped near Huntsville. They had traveled 13 miles in cold, rainy weather. Their camp flooded, so they had to stay a second day. This marker is on the front lawn of the Randolph County Courthouse.

Huntsville Historical Society

The Huntsville Historical Society was started on June 19, 1973. This group and its friends help run a museum. The museum opened in 1975. It is located in the old Westlake Hardware store in downtown Huntsville. Its goal is to collect, save, and share historical information about Huntsville. The Society also helps with other community projects.

Education in Huntsville's Past

Huntsville is home to Westran Elementary School and Westran High School. The Westran High School teams are called the Westran Hornets and Lady Hornets. Students can play many sports. These include football, basketball, softball, baseball, and golf. Cheerleading and track are also offered.

The Huntsville Lincoln School was built on Randolph Street. It provided education for African-American children. Students attended from first to eighth grade. Later, ninth and tenth grades were added. Around 1935, students in eleventh and twelfth grades traveled to Moberly Lincoln High School. This continued until schools became integrated in the early 1960s.

In the mid-1800s, Huntsville also had a college. It was called Mount Pleasant College. Work on the college building began in 1855. It was finished in 1857. The college operated for 26 years. It burned down on July 15, 1882.

Early Commerce

Huntsville was known for its businesses long ago. The city produced several important goods. These included salt, coal, hemp rope, and tobacco.

Geography of Huntsville

Huntsville covers a total area of about 2.39 square miles (6.00 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Population Information

2010 Census Details

In 2010, the city had 1,564 people living there. There were 590 households and 396 families. The population density was about 654 people per square mile. There were 690 housing units.

Most of the people in Huntsville were White (92.6%). About 5.2% were African American. A small number were Native American (0.1%) or Asian (0.3%). About 1.6% of people were of two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people made up 1.2% of the population.

About 35.9% of households had children under 18. Nearly half (46.9%) were married couples living together. About 29.0% of all households were individuals living alone. About 12.3% of people living alone were 65 years or older. The average household had 2.46 people. The average family had 2.94 people.

The average age in the city was 37.3 years. About 24.9% of residents were under 18. About 14% were 65 years or older. The population was almost evenly split between males (51.5%) and females (48.5%).

Education

Public schools in Huntsville are managed by the Westran R-I School District. This district runs one elementary school, one middle school, and Westran High School.

Huntsville also has a public library. It is a part of the Little Dixie Regional Libraries system.

Notable People

• William T. Anderson - A leader of Confederate guerrillas during the American Civil War. He spent his childhood in Huntsville.
• George W. P. Hunt - The first governor of Arizona.

See also

In Spanish: Huntsville (Misuri) para niños